A Wizardess' Heart
by Yaushibee
Summary: Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy. It holds a rich history and the title as the best academic institution for magic in all the world making it incredibly difficult to get into. It's the place where her late mother attended and it is also where wizardess Lucy Heartfilia's story begins. Shall We Date: Wizardess Heart x NaLu AU. [TEMPORARY ON HIATUS until inspiration returns]
1. Chapter 1: Intro

_Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy._

 _Founded 2000 years ago by three great wizards under the order of the First King, the academy was meant to be a place where young Wizardess and Wizards could come to learn and grow their magical abilities. With a rich history behind it and the title as the best academic institution for magic in all the world, it is incredibly difficult to get into._

 _It's the place_ _where my late mother attended in her youth and it is_ _also where my story begins._

* * *

It had been a rough year for Lucy Heartfilia since her father had passed away. They were never very close, their relationship especially strained after her mother had died, but near the end her father had made sure she knew he loved her in his own way. That didn't mean much for her now that she was alone, however. One of the reasons for Jude Heartfilia's death was the loss of his business, his empire. They had lost their home-frankly too much space for only two people, Lucy had always thought-and after all the expenses from the funeral, the pithy sum she had been left with was now gone.

With no other choice, Lucy had been forced to take up a job to support herself and her childhood dream of attending a magic academy were put on hold.

That's right, Lucy Heartfilia was a wizardess of her own making. In her lonely childhood she had taken up reading her mother's old magic tomes and memorized the spells within them. Casting them successfully was another matter entirely, yes, but at least she knew the words and thus she considered herself a wizardess. Going to an academy would the only thing to give her the official title however and that was now out of sight.

Instead of moping about it, Lucy focused her attentions on her work and keeping a roof over her head. Unfortunately, this is where her struggles came in. She was barely paid what could be called a wage and the long hours made it hard to have any spare time for studying the tomes. She had even had to sell a few to even eat when things got tighter. It was disheartening to think just a few years back, she was overly dressed in elaborate gowns and jewels, eating the finest foods the country had to offer in her family's lavish dining room. She had never loved living so extravagantly but she admitted now, as she poked at a flimsy sandwich on her lunch break, that she had taken it for granted.

A sigh escaped Lucy. How long were things going to continue like this? She knew it wouldn't be easy on her own, of course. She just wished that she could catch a break for once.

The door to the break room opened then and her manager came in, wearing a scowl that could scare a baby. Lucy wondered is she should have knocked on wood. "What are you doing back here?" Her manager practically spat in her face when he approached her.

Lucy bit her tongue to hold back her immediate reply. This was her third job now and she couldn't lose it now. "I'm on lunch, sir." She answered calmly as she could.

"Who said you could go on lunch?"

"Sir, I asked your permission before taking it."

He seemed taken off guard momentarily before his brows returned to their angry arch. "Hurry back to the front now, we have customers waiting."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Lucy nodded her affirmation. "Yes, sir."

This seemed to appease him, as he turned and exited the room just as quickly as he came and in just as much a huff as before. Lucy let loose another sigh and got to her feet. She still had half her meal left but she had lost her appetite anyway. She went to return to her post.

Oh, but fate was not on her side today. At least, not yet. Not soon after she had turned to her position behind the counter of the small shop, an incident had occurred. The customer had thought Lucy had made a mistake about the price of an item and demanded that the manager be brought over. It may have been resolved easily enough but it escalated into something much worse despite how many apologizes she had choked out. It all happened in a blur. Termination was the result.

"Here is your final pay." Her manager said, slapping a thin envelope onto his desk. He glared at her as she picked it up and sneered when she put it in her pocket. "Get out of here." He barked, making her jolt. Without so much as a word, Lucy turned heel and left the office. Not out of fear but anger. She was furious, in fact. She couldn't however, let that get a hold of her. She had to hang onto her manners that had been drilled into her since youth. It would serve her no good to let her emotions get a hold of her now.

She exited the little shop, not so much as giving a glance back and stepped out in to the thick crowds lining the streets. From her pocket she pulled out her final pay. Even without opening it she could tell that it would not be enough to cover her upcoming rent. She would need to find another job and fast. With set determination, she squared her shoulders and walked now with purpose. She couldn't waste a single moment.

Lucy was about to place her pay back into her pocket when someone bumped into her, knocking the envelope out of her hand and onto the ground. She quickly reached for it, only to have a sudden gust blow it into the busy road. "No!" She cried, pushing people out of the way and ran into the street. A shout followed her but she couldn't let that envelope out of her sight.

The strong winds teased her by blowing the envelope this way and that, Lucy narrowly dodging traffic all the while. At one moment she thought she'd lost it for good but out of the corner of her eye she saw it blow into an alleyway where the wind's hold on it weren't so strong. She dodged between the buildings in pursuit of it, her eyes searching the ground but met nothing.

A hopelessness settled over Lucy. The envelope was gone. There was no way she would be able to pay her rent now and she wouldn't be able work enough in time to replace what had been lost. She dropped to her knees and held them. What would she do now?

That is when she felt a hollow tap on her head.

"Huh?" She said in a weak voice, looking up. Her brows furrowed. There was nothing there. Then she felt the tap again and she turned her head completely upward.

Floating above her was a scroll. It seemed to sparkle and there was a neatly tied ribbon around it. Curious, she reach for it. As soon as her finger tips made contact, the scroll came to life, unrolling to reveal the neatly written words and wax seal within. "What is this?" She mumbled, getting to her feet. The scroll scroll still hung in the air before her, no wires or tricks in sight.

"Is this magic?" Lucy reached for the scroll again, this time retracting her hand in surprise as a voice from nowhere began to speak.

"I am not to manhandled!" The voice shouted, then it seem to clear its throat and spoke more calmly. "Ahem. I am the Acceptance Letter from Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy."

Lucy blinked once. Twice. Did a letter just speak? No, more importantly, did the letter really just say what she thought it did? Her mind ran blank.

"Well, don't just gawk like that."

Lucy stared pie-eyed at the scroll. "I'm just surprised. Did you say you're...you're from Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy?"

"Yes, that is what I said. Weren't you listening?" The letter haughtily replied.

Lucy took a moment to process the words. Had she finally found a spot of good luck? She couldn't believe she was going to ask what she did next. "Are you _my_ acceptance letter? Am I really accepted to the Academy?"

"I hope you're not this daft all the time. I can't imagine how you got accepted otherwise." The letter sighed before moving in what might have been a nod. "Yes, you have been accepted."

Ignoring the insult, Lucy felt a smile tugging on her lips. The hopelessness she had felt before was now replaced with excitement. Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy was one of the most prestigious magic academies around. It's where her mother went and now, Lucy could follow in her footsteps. It was a dream come true.

The letter spoke again, interrupting her thoughts. "We received your application and it was approved after much discussion."

Lucy paused. "My application?" She echoed. She had never sent one there. It cost money to apply, which she didn't have to spare. How could they possibly have an application from her then? She worked through the possibilities when she recalled something. Her father. He must have been the one to do it. Tears came to her eyes, an affection filling her heart. She hadn't completely forgiven the man for his treatment over the years but he did love her and this was his final gift to her.

"When do I get to go?" Lucy asked after a moment, wiping her eyes dry.

"First thing tomorrow morning we depart."

"Tomorrow?!"

"Really now, do I have to repeat everything to you!" The letter sniffed.

"But that is so sudden." The blonde protested.

The letter once again made an action that Lucy could only assume was a shrug this time. "That is when the semester begins. Make sure to pack everything you'll need, there is no going back if you forget something."

This was a lot for Lucy to take in. At least now she wouldn't have to worry about her rent but there was another concern weighing on her mind. "How will I pay for my tuition?" She asked the Acceptance Letter.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? You have a full scholarship." It replied but before Lucy could react to this amazing news, she was hit with a curveball. "That is, if you can pass the Judgement."

Lucy tilted her head in worry. She had a bad feeling about this already. "And what do I have to do to pass this judgement?"

"You'll have a two month trial as a provisional student to prove yourself and at the end, if you're worthy, you'll be able to stay at the Academy. If you cannot, you'll be sent home for good." The letter seemed to sneer at her here; she wondered if it disliked her. "It's an incredibly difficult task to pass, only few succeed. Are you still up the challenge?"

Lucy pushed back her doubts. If her mother could do it, then so could she. With determination, she gave a firm nod. "I'll do it."

* * *

I recently drew a crossover piece with NaLu and the otome game Shall We Date?: Wizardess Heart and couldn't get the idea of a fic out of my head. It's been awhile since I've written anything so I went for it. I've only made it through one story line in the game so far (Randy's) so some inaccuracies are bound to come up (let's just call them creative liberties). Watch out for Natsu's appearance next chapter. My goal is at least 10-15 chapters? But we'll see where this story takes us.

Also, I might write a companion fic for the other ships after I finish this one but for now, this one will only focus on NaLu and NaLu alone.


	2. Chapter 2: An Encounter

_The School Emblem._

 _The emblem is gold with a deep red and blue embossed setting. In the very center a dragon is carved out, surrounded by laurels and twin wands. Its ruby colored eye glistens in the light, almost forbidding yet it gives a sense of protection all the same. I heard that it is supposed to a tribute to the Dragon of Time, the creature that turned itself to stone to protect the land the Academy was founded on._

 _I'm supposed to keep it with me at all times. If I lose it, I'll be in big trouble._

* * *

It was early afternoon the following day when Lucy arrived at the gates of the Academy, everything to her name stuffed into the two suitcases at her feet. It had been a challenge trying to fit it all but somehow she managed.

"Wow." Lucy breathed out as she took in the impressive sight before her.

The Academy was located on the island of Gedonelune, just outside her own country. The soil alone was said to have magic properties, making anything that sprouted roots in it bloom beautifully. Lucy wouldn't doubt it by all the gorgeous foliage surrounding the courtyard. But the real beauty was the Academy itself. It was a massive, glistening white structure that looked more like a castle out of a fairy tale than a school. It was a completely different place from where she had been living her life until now. It almost didn't seem real to be there.

"Oh, I forgot something important."

Surprised, Lucy quickly turned her head towards the Acceptance Letter floating beside her. In her enchantment with the sights, she had almost forgotten it was there. "Forgotten what?" She inquired, hoping it wasn't as important as forgetting to tell her she was only a provisional student.

"Your uniform." The Letter answered. With a bend of one of its corners, the paper made a motion and a sudden light surrounded Lucy's body. It lasted mere seconds and when it faded, Lucy's clothing had been transformed into the official blue school uniform. At her lapel was a golden emblem on a crest with a dragon in the middle. Her fingers brushed over it and the Letter spoke again.

"That emblem is very, very important. You must not lose it, understand?" Lucy nodded and the Letter continued. "Well then, that completes the preparations. You are now ready to enter the Academy and my work here is done. Fare-thee-well!" In an instant the letter rolled itself up and once the ribbon had been retied, a popping sound was made, thus turning it into a normal piece of paper.

"Thank you." Lucy said, catching the letter as it fell.

Carefully placing it in her blazer pocket, Lucy looked back to the Academy and smiled broadly. If she could just make it in as a full-time student, this could be the start of something great. Then a thought hit her.

"Wait, where am I supposed to go?!" The Letter had not told her anything about what to do once she arrived. Restlessly, Lucy searched around her. If she had to guess, heading into the main building would probably be the best bet. Maybe inside she could find someone to ask where the girls' dorms were or for some kind of map, maybe. She knew already that it would take her the entire two months to really learn where everything was in somewhere so large. Without wasting another minute, Lucy picked up her bags and headed in the direction of the building.

Pulling back the heavy wooden doors, Lucy was greeted by a pair of winding staircases. Her eyes followed them up to the high ceilings where instead of a chandelier, there were glowing orbs suspended in the air, providing light to the room. "This is incredible." She murmured to herself as she stepped inside. There didn't seem to be anyone around so she made her way towards the staircase on the right.

She climbed and climbed until she reached the third landing, stopping to rest a moment. Lucy silently prayed she wouldn't have to go up the entire staircase before finding someone. But where could everyone be? Classes didn't start until tomorrow, she knew that much, so it couldn't be that. With a sigh, she began her ascent again only to be stopped by a large crashing noise on the adjacent staircase.

"Natsu, hurry, or you'll be late!"

Lucy watched with interest as a pink haired teen stood up from where he had apparently slipped. "But I've been to the opening ceremony two years in a row, so what if I miss something?" He said to the other voice. Lucy tried to see who or what it could be but it was too short to be seen, blocked by the stone railing. It was hard to tell what the teen even looked like, really. He seemed to be wearing the school uniform, at least.

"Prefect Erza will scold you if you're not on time."

With a reluctant groan from the teen, the pair continued down the steps and Lucy watched on. Then with a jolt, she remembered a part of their conversation. "An opening ceremony!" She exclaimed, latching onto the edge of the railing and leaning over, trying to follow their retreating figures with her eyes. It seems she found out where everyone was but if she wanted to get there herself, she had to follow those two.

"Ohh," She murmured anxiously to herself, making her way down the steps two at a time. All the while she tried to keep track of the pair but they were much faster than she. If it weren't for their loud voices, she would have lost them already.

"I wonder if Prefect Erza will catch me if I bring a snack in; I'm starvin'!"

"She did last year."

"That was you she caught."

"I'm a cat; she couldn't punish me."

"Yeah, so she punished me instead."

Being lead by their conversation eventually brought her to a great hall lined with several double doors. She just barely saw the pair slip behind one of them and Lucy was just quick enough to catch it before it shut. The two had slipped out of her sight before she could thank them-however unintentional their guidance was-though it didn't matter, she had arrived at where she was suppose to be. She took a seat in the back row.

The ceremony, while long and boring for many, passed by in a blur for Lucy. Every piece of information she tried to absorb. She was already learning so much and it wasn't even officially her first day there. It excited her for what was to come in tomorrow's lessons. For now though, she had to discover the location of the dorms; it was the one thing the ceremony didn't cover.

"Excuse me," Lucy said, "could you possibly point me in the direction of the girls' dorms?" The student she had addressed glanced back at her over the rims of her glasses, her long curls bouncing as she turned. There was a displeased expression on her face, making Lucy wonder if she had asked the wrong person.

A moment passed where the woman didn't reply, her gaze scanning Lucy up and down. The silent appraisal made Lucy squirm. Then a smile, though one not all too kind, came to the other student's face. "They're on the west side of the academy." With a thank you in parting, Lucy left the ceremony hall and headed for what she hoped was the dorms.

A scolding is what she received as soon as she arrived.

"You were supposed to come here first thing." The dorm mother chastised. Lucy gave a meek smile in apology. The woman's was loud but not cruel, and she had even taken up one of Lucy's bags as she lead her down the hall to her room. "Well, at least you made it to the ceremony." She said in a calmer tone now.

"Yes, I was able to follow some other student there." Lucy replied as the dorm mother stopped in front of a door. On the right side of it was a plaque, the number 217 carved into it.

"That's good. Now, your roommate is a young lady named Mickey Chickentiger. She likes animal print, hope you don't mind."

Mickey Chickentiger did indeed love animal print Lucy learned as she followed the dorm mother into the room. While one of the two bed had plain white sheets on it-no doubt Lucy's soon-to-be bed-the other had a quilt with every type of animal print pattern imaginable and all in a variety of shades. The bedside table and adjacent desk had many knickknacks of the same style, though tiger print seemed the most common. It was as though half the room was safari themed.

"'Like' might have been an understatement." Lucy mused, dumping her bag onto the ground beside her own desk.

The dorm mother gave her a smile. "Mickey should be back soon. Do make yourself at home, dinner will be served in an hour."

With that, the woman left Lucy to her own devices and the first thing the blonde did was take a seat. Her new shoes were comfortable enough but certainly not worn in yet. Tiredly she pried them off, neatly setting them at the end of her bed before plopping down onto the mattress. Earlier she had been thinking how she didn't want to climb all those stairs just to find someone but in actuality, she would probably have to scale them every day just to get to her classes.

Thinking about the stairs reminded her of the pair she had encountered. They certainly were different from what she saw and heart but she hoped she could thank them if she came across them again. She definitely knew she'd recognize at least the teen by his unusual hair color. The other voice was mostly likely his familiar, considering how small it had appeared.

"I wonder what I should do until dinner?" Lucy mumbled, sitting up from her bed. Her eyes trailed past wild patterns over to her baggage. Unpacking would probably be a wise use of her time. With a groan, she stood and grabbed her larger bag. She decided it would be best to address her clothes first before starting on any of her tomes and other personal items. Truthfully, she didn't want to get too comfortable here.

She was only a provisional student. Despite her confidence, there was still that fear in the back of her mind that she wouldn't pass the Judgement and have to leave. She had no where to go to should she fail either, though what she was more afraid of was if she really grew attached to this place. Having to say goodbye would just be too hard.

As her thoughts grew darker, she pulled a sweater from her bag and a framed picture came tumbling out onto the ground. "Oh no!" Lucy knelt down beside it, quickly turning it over to check for damage. She let out a relieved sigh seeing that it was unharmed aside from a slight dent in the corner. Her finger gently brushed over the photo. It was of her father and mother, back when they were first married.

Seeing their smiling faces renewed Lucy's spirits. She would become a great wizardess just like her mother by passing that Judgement. She would make her parents proud, no matter what.

"Hello?"

Lucy looked up, hurriedly brushing away the tears that had began to form in her eyes. Before her stood a girl about her age with the thickest eyelashes Lucy had probably ever seen and was wearing the standard school uniform all except for the zebra print blouse underneath her blazer. Lucy had no doubt that this was Mickey.

Standing up, Lucy set the frame aside and reached out her hand to greet her new roommate. "Hey, I'm Lucy."

"Mickey." She replied, shaking Lucy's hand. She seemed a little uncertain, quite possibly awkward after catching her new roommate tearing up. Their greeting over, she moved to her own side of the room and took a seat on the edge of her bed. "Fair warning," she said, taking off her shoes, "if you're not back by nightfall, the dorm mother will scold you."

"There's a curfew?" Lucy asked, pausing in unpacking.

"A strict one. I heard someone last year got suspended for being out for two hours after dark." She pointed at Lucy, a fierce expression on her face. "So be careful, alright?" Then she gave a friendly smile, returning to removing her shoes.

Mickey was someone who comes off strong but Lucy was sure she and her would get along just fine.

* * *

Thank you so so so much for the kind reviews! I'm very happy that this fic is already so well received.

It was only a small Natsu spotting but their official first meeting is coming up next so don't worry! I decided to go with Mickey, a lesser known FT member, as Lucy's roommate. It felt more original than just going with Levy or Wendy, plus I really like Mickey. I wish more was known about her.

Stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3: The Delinquent

_Familiars._

 _Familiars are animals and magical creatures that are usually small in size and unable to communicate in human language. Mages are allowed to make contracts with them and they can become spiritual guides or assistance to the mage, or even just a close companion. I wonder if I'll be able to get a familiar friend for myself?_

* * *

As Lucy and Mickey were leaving for their lessons in the next morning, the dorm mother stopped them. She told Lucy that she was to head to the office and speak with the Headmaster. It was a requirement for all new students. Since Lucy still didn't know the way, Mickey offered to take her there.

"At least it's nice out today." Lucy said, using her hand to block the sunlight from her eyes.

"The weather here is nice all year round." Mickey explained. "Something to do with the magical properties of the island."

"I know a little about the island but is it true that the soil itself is really magical?" Lucy asked.

Mickey nodded. "Of course. It was the main reason they built the Academy here in the first place."

They had made it to the office building and Mickey lead them inside. Down a short but wide and intricately decorated hallway they continued until they reached a reception desk. The elderly woman behind it had thin glasses perched on the tip of her nose, looking over some document. Without so much as glancing away from her papers for even a second, she told them to take a seat.

"You should be good from here, right, Lucy?"

"Yes. Thanks, Mickey."

The brunette patted her on the shoulder and Lucy watched as she left, waiting until she had exited the building before taking a seat in one of the lavish chairs lining the wall. The waiting room was very quiet, all except for the tick-tock of the clock in the far corner. Lucy twiddled her thumbs, listening as each second passed by. Truthfully she was feeling a bit nervous about meeting this Headmaster. She hoped they were nice.

Time passed and eventually the door of the Headmaster's room opened. Lucy stood instantly, expecting the Headmaster but instead, out came a familiar pink-haired teen. His mood was bad, it seemed, as he grumbled something under his breath and pushed past her to take a seat beside where she had just been. He didn't so much as give her a passing glance but she found it hard not to look at him. Now that they were this close, she could tell he had Asian features, his eyes especially sharp. What caught her attention most was his state of dress; a worn scarf wrapped around his neck, his shirt unbuttoned to reveal a wrinkled t-shirt underneath, a chain hanging from his belt, and his dress pants stuffed into a pair of heavy work boots. No other student she had seen so far had dressed like such. He looked like a delinquent or a trouble maker, Lucy thought.

That is when his piercing gaze turned up to meet her's and she froze. He had caught her staring.

He opened his mouth to say something when a voice from within the office called. "Lucy Heartfilia."

Relieved at the chance to escape, Lucy quickly turned away from the teen and headed inside. She had wanted say thank you for the day before but she had lost her chance. She felt a bit stupid but as soon as she entered the office, her thoughts shifted from the teen to the meeting ahead of her. Her former nervousness returned.

"Do, shut the door and take a seat, Miss." The Headmaster spoke, his voice kindly. He was seated in a large, leather chair but this did nothing in his favor as it only made the very, very short old man seem smaller. "Welcome to Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy, I am Headmaster Makarov Dreyar."

Following his instructions, Lucy took a seat. "Pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for accepting me to the academy."

"Not at all!" The Headmaster said jovially. Folding his hands together on his desk, he grew serious. "So now, you're our new provisional student. I'm sure you've heard some but in order to become an official student here you must pass the Judgement. Oh, don't look so worried, it's much easier than it sounds. All you must do is do well in your classes and prove to us you're the right kind of caliber mage for our Academy."

"How do I prove myself?" Lucy asked.

The Headmaster smiled knowingly. "It's different for each student. During the two months here, you'll go through trials and how you handle them will be a determining factor. They may be difficult or you may not even realize you're being tested but try your best." Lucy nodded and the Headmaster continued. "Now something important that I must tell you is about the Buddy system.

"Buddies are a pair of students who, if the conditions are favorable, will become partners with each other. When it happens, your emblems will glow and become bonded to the other forever. Without the emblem, you can't find a Buddy and there is no way to get a replacement." Lucy idly reached up to touch her emblem, pinned carefully to her lapel. So that was why it was so important she not lose it. "Well, actually it's not all that easy to find a Buddy. Some students have made it to their final year before finding one or even graduated without one. Don't let it concern you too much, alright?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Now, any questions?"

Lucy clutched her hands together. There had been something that was bothering her since she had gotten her letter. "It's not about the Buddy system but I was wondering why such a novice mage as myself was accepted to come here?"

"Ah!" Headmaster Makarov smiled. "I'm glad you asked! This actually leads me to my next topic. You're quite skilled in memorizing spells, yes?"

"That's right." Lucy answered confidently.

"That is quite a feat, you see. Many students struggle with the subject, some badly enough to almost flunk out. It's a shame seeing so many gifted young wizards and wizardess fail because of such a thing." Makarov said sadly. He paused, as if his mind were somewhere else, before he turned his attention back to her. "So one of your trials will be this! I want you to tutor one of our existing students."

"Tutor?" Lucy echoed.

"Yes! It will be a great experience for you, and I think you can learn a bit about preforming spells from them–I hear it's a bit of a weak subject for you." Embarrassed, Lucy could only nod. She knew she had magical abilities, her mother had told her as such, but actually getting the spells to work was a very difficult thing for her to do. Despite practicing magic for years, she could only get very simple spells to work. The magic just wouldn't come out.

The Headmaster continued. "The particular student I have in mind"–there was a change in his tone here, to exasperation or perhaps annoyance–"has a case of an overwhelming amount of magic, more than he knows what to do with. He can't use it to cast spells effectively though because he is so bad at learning the incantations. So instead he gets in trouble all the time with his miss-firing spells."

"I see." Lucy mumbled.

"Now, classes are going to begin soon so I'll let you go. There is only one thing I want you to keep in mind during your two month period with us."

"Yes?"

"What do you think magic is?"

Lucy's brows came together. "What...do I think magic is?"

"That's right. You don't have to know the answer right now but do think about it."

"I understand."

With that, the Headmaster gave her a smile. "Head to your classes. I'll have my assistant give you the name of the student you're to tutor and I'll have him meet you over the break period."

Lucy got up and bowed, then left the office. When she returned to the waiting room, she saw the delinquent was gone now and only the assistant and the ticking of the clock remained. She felt a bit disappointed that he wasn't there. Would she ever get the chance to thank him?

"This is for you."

The assistant was holding out a thin strip of paper, her gaze still locked on her work. Lucy took it from her, carefully reading the name written in dark ink. "'Natsu Dragneel.'" She breathed. A strange familiarity hit her, like she had heard the name before. She didn't have long to think about it, as first warning bells chimed. Class was going to start and if she didn't hurry, she would be late on her very first day!

* * *

By pure luck or perhaps it was because she ran the entire way there, Lucy had made it to class in time. As soon as she came in, she found an empty spot near the back to sit. The teacher, a Prof. Goldmine, had introduced himself and explained some of the basics about the class. He quizzed a couple of the students on some topics as well and Lucy was elated to discover she knew the answers to some of the questions. Maybe things wouldn't be as hard as she thought.

"Alright class, being the first day, there isn't a lot we can cover so I'm letting ya out early. Make sure not to be late for Porlyusica's class though or else you'll receive one heck of a tongue lashing." He laughed and the students dismissed.

Taking a seat on a bench in the courtyard, Lucy pulled out the slip of paper she had hastily stuffed into her pocket. "Natsu Dragneel, huh?" She wondered what kind of guy he was. The headmaster said he would have him meet her but maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask around about him first. As she considered this, a heavy boot stamped down on the bench beside her, startling her. Her gaze followed it upward and was met face-to-face with a familiar pair of eyes belonging to none other the delinquent.

He looked her square in eye, his expression straight. "Josie, right?"

"Huh?" Lucy choked out.

"You're Josie Hart-feely-ya?" He asked again.

Lucy's brows pulled down in confusion. She had no idea what he was asking. Or why he was so close, for that matter. His nose was quite literally mere inches from her own and she leaned back, trying to get back some of her personal space without falling off the bench.

"You were in the office before, I recognize you. You are Josie, aren't you?"  
"Natsu, you've got it wrong. The paper said Lewie Hart-fell-ya."

Lucy's gaze moved to the blue creature on the guy's shoulder. It appeared to be a feline, with wide, dark eyes. As she had previously guessed, it had to be his familiar. Then it hit her. He just called this guy Natsu! Certainly with a name as unique as that, there couldn't be more than one in attendance at this Academy. He had to be the person she was waiting for.  
"You're Natsu Dragneel?" Lucy asked.

The guy removed his foot from the bench and stood tall. "Yeah, that's me." He said.

"Huh." Lucy said to herself more than them. Fate could really be strange. To think that the person who had lead her to the opening ceremony without even knowing he had, turned out to be the person she was supposed to tutor. She still wanted to thank him for that and now she had a way to do so. Even if his delinquent appearance and piercing gaze made her nervous, she would do well with this. She had to.

Lucy got to her feet and extended a hand to him and a smile. "I'm _Lucy Heartfilia._ "

Natsu stared owlishly at her for a moment until a grin spread across his face. "So it was Lucy. Well, I'm Natsu and this is Happy." He shook her hand and with the other he pointed to the familiar still perched on his shoulder. The cat let out an "aye!"

For some reason, his wide smile set her heart racing. She had thought he was scary but with a smile like that, maybe that wasn't the case. "Well then, I guess I'll be your incantation tutor?" Lucy said. As if the word "tutor" was poison to him, Natsu's expression instantaneously turned into one of dread. It would seem he had forgotten the whole reason for their meeting. "Headmaster said you could help me out too."

At this, Natsu raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Lucy said sheepishly, letting go of his hand, "I have a bit of a trouble with getting my magical abilities to come out. He said that you have the opposite of the problem."

Natsu pulled out his wand from his back pocket and Happy jumped down from his shoulder. "Oh, you mean like this?" Natsu said and with only a wave of the wand, his entire body caught ablaze in a dazzling red flame.  
So surprised by his spontaneous combustion, Lucy stumbled backwards onto the bench. She would have toppled right over the back of it, had Natsu not reached out and grabbed her, his flames already dying out.

"What was that?" Lucy exclaimed, sitting up straight. "You didn't even say an incantation!"

"My magic just comes out however it wants, though flames are the easiest." Natsu explained.

"That's incredible." Lucy said, brushing back her bangs. Her heart was racing but it was from excitement. This was her first time in a long while experiencing magic so strong. The last she felt like this was with her mother as a child. Though Natsu's magic was a lot more wild than her mother's was.

Happy hopped up on the bench beside her. "I wonder if you'll get in trouble for that."

"Ah, no one saw it." Natsu scoffed, tucking his wand away.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, Natsu always gets scolded for using flame magic like that." The cat explained, his blue tail twitching. "Look, he only scorched the grass but when he does it inside, poof! The curtains go up in flames sometimes."

Lucy saw that indeed the ground where Natsu had been standing was now charred earth. She was thankful that when he grabbed her, she hadn't set _her_ ablaze. No wonder Headmaster Makarov had sounded so exasperated when talking about Natsu's magic.

"Natsu!"

An angry shout rang out, making Lucy jump. She turned her head in the direction of the call and saw a woman with long red hair across the courtyard. Her uniform seemed a lot nicer than the usual and her cloak had a different design. Lucy didn't know who she was but she could tell even from here the woman was angry.

"We should run."

"Aye."

"What?"

Quick as a rabbit, Natsu grabbed Lucy's wrist and pulled her into a run with him in the opposite direction of the redhead. Lucy barely could keep her footing at the speed they were going and if he hadn't been holding onto her so tightly, she would have fallen by now.

"Who is that?" She asked breathlessly as they rounded a corner, dodging several students as they did so.

"Prefect Erza." Happy said, back on Natsu's shoulders.

"Why is she chasing us?"

Happy chuckled. "She saw the grass."

"We gotta hide." Natsu said, darting into a empty hallway. They continued down it past several classrooms, Lucy almost running right into Natsu's back when he abruptly stopped in front of one. He slid the door open, tugging her inside with him before quickly closing the door. They both slid to the ground.

"My legs feel like jelly." Lucy rasped out and Natsu shushed her. He leaned his head against the door, listening for signs of pursuit. Minutes ticked by where the only thing Lucy could hear was the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. Only when Natsu leaned away from the door did she feel it was safe to breathe again.

"Is she gone?" Happy asked in a hushed tone.

"'think so." Natsu said, wiping the sweat off his brow. Natsu came across as an athletic person, or at least physically fit, but even he was breathing heavy from their impromptu run.

"That was crazy." Lucy sighed. She reached up to fix her hair when she realized that Natsu was still holding her hand. Natsu noticed at that moment as well but while her cheeks turned rosy, his expression was unfazed.

"Oh," He said simply, letting go. Then a wide grin spread on his face. "It was crazy but it was fun, right?"

"Aye!"

Lucy thought in that moment that these two might be insane yet she found herself smiling too. That really had been a lot of fun, maybe the most fun she'd had in years. "I guess it was." She admitted. "I just hope you won't make this into a habit."

"Sure I won't." Natsu said, grinning cheekily.

"That means he will." Happy laughed and Natsu joined him.

Yes, they were definitely insane but Lucy laughed with them anyway.

* * *

At last, Natsu and Happy have been officially introduced! I drew a picture of their first meeting like one of the CG that are in the game for this too. If you want to check it out, it's on my tumblr (yaushie) under my art tag.

Once again, thank you for the wonderful reviews! Next chapter will *hopefully* be out by this weekend but we will see.


	4. Chapter 4: Distractions

_Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy Library._

 _With floor to ceiling bookshelves, the library contains thousands of texts on a variety of topics. Some of the books are even said to have been around since the founding of the Academy. I would spend all day there if I could. Just imagining all the things I could learn makes me excited._

* * *

"What? You got caught after all but didn't get in trouble?"

It was after class the following day that Natsu, Happy, and Lucy met up in the courtyard again. This was the arrangement they had agreed upon for the tutoring sessions. Or rather, it was more like what Lucy had forced them to agree to. She had really meant it when she said she wasn't going to let him out of it; not just for his sake but for her own. If his explosive display of magic yesterday was anything to go by, then he definitely had a lot to teach her too.

"Yeah, she let me off the hook when I told her I was just trying to explain my magic to you so you could 'better tutor me.'" Natsu said, snickering at the last part.

"We seriously thought that Prefect Erza was going to skin us alive but then she calmed right down." Happy laughed.

Lucy frowned. Even if Natsu could be of help to her, she didn't want to think what would happen if she somehow got roped into his shenanigans and got seriously in trouble for it. She could be expelled before her two months were through if she wasn't careful.

"I think that was the first time she didn't go ape on us." Natsu said.

"Aye."

"Lucy must be our good luck charm." Natsu joked, good-naturedly slapping the girl on the back. "I guess we'll have to keep her around, huh, Happy?"

"Hey!" Lucy protested, her cheeks tinting pink. Natsu only laughed in response and she rolled her eyes. "Alright, enough funny business. Let's get on with the lesson."

That dreading expression returned to Natsu's face and his shoulders slumped. "Do we have to?" At the look Lucy gave him, he groaned but conceded. "Fine, fine. What do we gotta do?"

"That's better. Now, do you want to begin out here or do you want to go somewhere else?" Lucy asked. Staying outside in the courtyard would be safer should Natsu let loose his magic again but it wasn't the best environment for learning incantations.

"Why don't we go to the library?" Happy suggested.

Lucy perked up at this. "There is a library?"

"Yeah, a massive one. We've hid there from Erza a couple times." Happy said. He was all too oblivious to the shining look Lucy got in her eyes then. If there was one thing Lucy loved most in the whole world, it was books. She had been so caught up in thoughts of making it as a student she hadn't even thought of the possibility that the Academy had a library, let alone a large one!

"Let's go there!" She said excitedly and Natsu startled at her sudden enthusiasm. He stared at her for a moment before a wicked smile grew on his face. It was gone before she was able to catch it though, being quickly replaced with a bored expression.

"It's this way." He said unenthusiastically.

Natsu and happy lead her from the courtyard to the library, the trip only taking a few short minutes. Lucy could hardly wait to see the library and when they arrived, it exceeded her expectations.

"It's three stories tall!" Lucy exclaimed, forgetting her surroundings. Several people glared in her direction and she gave them an apologetic look in return.

Natsu grinned. "You like?"

"Yes!" Lucy quietly yet nonetheless eagerly replied.

They continued their way down past several large tables and rows of tall book shelves, Lucy reading some of the titles with curiosity as they passed by. There had to be hundreds of books in the Library just on the first floor alone. Just the thought of having access to such knowledge made Lucy giddy.

When they reached the furthest table down the line, Natsu took a seat and Happy joined him. "I'll wait here if you wanna look around." He said. His intentions were a little suspicious but Lucy hardly noticed in her excitement.

"Alright, I'll be back." She agreed easily enough. "I'm going to try and find some tomes with easy incantations we can work with." She set her bag down in the seat across from him to hold her place and headed towards the rows of shelves.

In her search she came across a variety of different books and tomes. Some were about the different effects certain wand designs had, one about taming a wild familiar, and many about the history of the Academy. She pulled one of those off the shelf and flipped through it. The inside was filled with illustrations of the Dragon of Time, all of which resembling the many statues that were around the academy. In the library Lucy had even seen one, sitting perched up on the second floor. But despite all the pictures, there wasn't a lot in the book that told her about the Dragon other than it turned itself into stone to protect the academy. "I wonder what it was protecting it from." Lucy mused, returning the book to its place.

She wandered over to another shelf and this time found some on incantations. She plucked several off the shelf that seemed like they would be easy and headed back to their table. When she returned, Natsu was leaning back in the chair with his feet on the table and his eyes shut. He cracked an eye open at the thud she made by setting the heavy stack of books down.

"That's a lot." Happy said from his seat beside Natsu.

"Some are for incantations, others are just some I picked up for myself." Lucy explained. She moved her bag aside and took a seat. From the pile she pulled out a smaller book and held it out. "I want you to read over this one for starters. I think it might help."

Natsu sat up properly, his feet returning to the floor. "You want me to read the whole thing?" He asked incredulously, taking the tome from her. He flipped through some of the pages, grimacing at them.

"Yep." Lucy said and Natsu groaned.

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

Lucy smiled, grabbing another book from the pile. "I'm going to do some reading of my own."

"About?"

"Using magic, of course."

"Wasn't I going to help you with that?" Natsu asked, a brow raised.

"Well, it can't hurt to read up on it." Lucy shrugged and opened her book.

Natsu sighed, slouching in his chair like a child. "Whatever."

She shot him a warning look and he sat up again and opened his book. Satisfied, she turned to the tome in her hands and quickly became absorbed. Only when she felt eyes on her did she glance away from the text and jumped when she found Natsu staring.

Her cheeks flushed red. "What?" She demanded.

Natsu continued to stare blankly at her, his gaze unnerving her more and more with each passing second. Finally he broke out into a grin. "You just had a really funny expression on your face. You must really like reading." He said.

That made her blush more. "What do you mean by that?!"

"Nothing." He laughed and added, after a pause. "We should probably get going though."

"Huh?" Lucy's brows furrowed. "But we've only been here for a little bit. Did you even read the book I gave you?"

"Only a little bit?" Happy pipped up. "We've been here for hours."

"Hours? That seems like a bit of an exaggeration." Lucy said, feeling miffed. Were they already trying to get out of her tutoring?

"Not really." Natsu said and he tilted his head to the left. Lucy followed the direction he was pointing to the large window on the back wall and was surprised to see the pink hue of the sky outside. Without her even realizing, it had become evening.

"Oh no." Lucy mumbled. She felt embarrassed having become so absorbed in her book. It had been the longest time since she had time for reading and now she had over-done it.

"It's about dinner time. Let's return these and we can go eat." Natsu said as he stood up.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I lost track of time." She too got up and grabbed a few of the books, while Natsu took the others. There was a cart nearby where they returned the books to be sorted by the librarians and headed for the exit.

"Just what was so interesting about what you were reading, Lucy?" Happy asked as he hung from Natsu's shoulder.

Lucy lit up at the question. "Well, it had a lot of interesting things in it! It talked mostly about balancing your magic levels and also mentioned how you need to keep focus when casting the spells otherwise it might not work out right. It wasn't necessarily relevant to me but I think it would be interesting to keep in mind anyway. I'd like to go back and check the book out later on and see what else it has to say on the subject. For that matter, I came across quite a few books I'd like to borrow and–" She stopped mid-sentence at the looks the two were giving her. "What?"

"You talk a lot." Happy said, his eyes wide with amazement.

"I-I do not!"

"You do."

"Not!"

"She does, doesn't she, Natsu?"

"Maybe." Natsu laughed and Lucy frowned and crossed her arms, which only made her laugh more. They stopped at the end of a hallway that lead to the courtyard and where they would leave on their separate ways for the day.

"Sorry I got so distracted." Lucy apologized again. "Our lesson wasn't too successful because of me."

"Nah, I knew bringing you to the library was a good idea."

Lucy tilted her head in confusion at the mischievous grin he gave her. "What do you mean?" She asked.

His grin only grew wider but he didn't answer the question. "See ya tomorrow, Lucy." He only said, heading in the direction of the boy's dorms with Happy. The cat waved his goodbye and she could only stand there dumbfounded trying to understand the meaning to Natsu's words. Then, long after he had disappeared around a corner, did she realize. Somehow, that sneak must have known before evening going to the library that she would become distracted by those books and they wouldn't be able to get any tutoring done.

"He did it on purpose...!" Lucy gasped, not quite sure if she should be angry he had tricked her or embarrassed that he had read her so well. In the future, she vowed to be more careful not to be so easily deceived by him again.

* * *

And here it is, chapter 4! Thank you again for your continued support. Next chapter should be out in a few days.


	5. Chapter 5: Of Prefects and Professors

_Prefect._

 _They are like the student presidents of the Academy. They have a lot of responsibilities, can enforce discipline on the students if necessary, and on occasion they will even teach a class in place of a professor. There is supposed to be two at a time but as far as I have heard, just one of them is doing the job herself currently. I wonder what happened to the other or if there was even one elected...?_

* * *

"I find it funny."

Lucy frowned across the breakfast table at Mickey. She had just gotten through telling her how Natsu had tricked her but she did not receive the sympathy she had been secretly hoping for. In fact, the only thing Mickey did was laugh in response at first. "It just makes me worried." Lucy sighed, playing with the remaining food on her plate.

"About what?" Mickey asked, finishing off her orange juice.

Lucy set down her fork and crossed her arms. "If I can even teach him anything, or learn anything from him for that matter. At this rate, I don't think I'll be able to."

"Awh c'mon, Lucy." Mickey said, leaning back to cross her own arms. Lucy looked up from her lap to the girl. "It's only been one day. It takes time to tame a beast, you know?"

"Tame a beast?" Lucy repeated skeptically. "I wouldn't go that far."

"No, listen!" Mickey leaned forward, an excitement in her eyes that Lucy had already learned appeared whenever her roommate spoke of animals. Even figuratively. "You can't just take a tiger out of the wild and expect to teach it a trick in one day's time. It'll maul your face off if you did that."

Lucy's brows creased at the mental image. It wasn't a pretty one. "Is that really what seems like will happen?"

"Not literally, Lucy, but you do have to be patient. Eventually he'll learn." Mickey said, and with a gentle smiled added. "And so will you."

Though the words didn't fully alleviate Lucy's worry, they did help. "Thanks, Mickey."

"Anytime." She grinned back. "Also, trying not to get tricked by him again might help."

"Mickey!"

Stifling a laugh, Mickey stood. "Alright, let's go or else we'll be late."

Lucy sighed but followed her friend's lead. Worries aside, she was excited for her lessons. She had three teachers: Professor Goldmine, a wild fellow who was quite lenient with his students; Professor Porlyusica, a cranky spinster that taught medicinal and potion magic with an iron fist; and today she would be meeting the third. He taught Magic Law and Spells which was a subject that interested Lucy very much. She hoped whoever the professor was, he'd be nicer than at least Porlyusica.

As it turned out, Professor Precht was not the kind and patient teacher she had hoped for. Rather he was an elderly man, very much stern, with a cynical nature about him. Being in his presence alone made Lucy nervous but then he had called her out in the middle of class.

"Miss Heartfilia?"

Lucy stared blankly at her professor. He had posed her with a question about the law behind a certain spell and though she did know quite a lot about magic, she had never learned anything of this caliber before. It went right over her head, she couldn't even fancy a guess.

"Well, miss Heartfilia? The class is waiting for your answer." Precht urged.

All eyes in the classroom were on her now, some sympathetic and some not. Lucy cleared her throat and said. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't know."

The professor was silent, a contemplative expression on his face. His gaze on her was unwavering, as if he was squaring her up and as each second passed, Lucy felt all the more nervous. At last, he looked away and returned to his lecture without saying anything regarding her answer. She could not tell if he had been pleased by her honesty or disappointed.

Regardless of what he had thought, Lucy spent the rest of the class feeling like she was on pins and needles. There was something about the professor that unnerved her and she didn't think it was just because he was a bit frightening.

* * *

Lucy slumped down on the bench beside Natsu and Happy and they glanced at her with wide-eyed curiosity, their mouths both stuffed with cheese snacks of some variety. It was cute enough to pull a small smile out of her, if only for a second.

Natsu swallowed first. "What's up?" He asked, wiping the crumbs off his face.

"Professor Precht." Lucy answered, slumping down further at just remembering the name.

"Who's that?" Natsu said. He tossed another of the snacks in his mouth but didn't gorge himself this time.

She tilted her head to look at him. "You don't know him? He's the first year Professor for Magic Law and Spells."

"Neeeever heard of him." Natsu shrugged.

"I have," Happy said, "he's scary."

"He is scary." Lucy agreed. "And his lessons are so hard! He even asked me a question in front of all the class and I didn't know the answer at all." It sounded like whining to even her own ears and she stopped herself by nibbling on a cheese snack before she could say anything else to add to her pity-party.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, Lucy. You're smart." Natsu offered.

"Mh." Lucy hummed. With that small compliment, her ego inflated but it did little to console her. "Anyway, Natsu, how have you not had him as your teacher before? You're a grade ahead of me."

Natsu shrugged again. "He wasn't teaching here the last three years, I guess."

"Three years?" Lucy echoed, her brows coming together.

"Natsu has been a student here for three years now." Happy explained.

"What?!" Lucy sat up in surprise. "I thought you were only a grade ahead of me!"

"I am." Natsu said. "I've just been held back a couple times."

He said it so unabashedly that Lucy could only stare at him in wonder. "How did that happen? Was it your grades?" She couldn't help but ask.

Natsu shook his head. "Nah, I just got in big trouble around graduation every year. I also skip a lot of classes."

"You say it so proudly..." Lucy muttered. In some ways this revelation surprised her and others it didn't. But if it wasn't his grades that were bad, then maybe she had a better chance at teaching him that she thought. That is, if she could actually get to the lessons today.

Taking a few more cheese snacks first, Lucy stood and began walking. "Well let's go."

"To the library again?" Natsu said, finishing off the snacks. He stuffed the empty bag into his pocket as he got up and fell into step with her.

"Yeah, I think we should have another go at those books." Lucy said. She wagged a finger at him. "I won't have you tricking me like last time though."

"Awh, you knew?" Natsu laughed and Happy joined him. "Thought I could pull it again but guess you're too smart."

Lucy crossed her arms. "That's right."

"Be careful, Natsu. Her head is gonna get too big if you say's smart again." Happy snickered.

"Don't be rude!" Lucy growled, making a lunge for the cat. He escaped down the hallway and Lucy chased after. Natsu followed behind at a slower pace, laughing at their actions.

The chase came to a dead stop when Happy slid into someone's shoes and Lucy stumbled to keep from running smack-dab into the owner herself. Without even looking, she bowed in apology. "I'm sorry." Lucy said.

"No harm done." The woman said and when Lucy righted herself, she realized she was talking to Prefect Erza. She was beautiful up close.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, remembering something their last encounter. She hoped she wouldn't recognize her from the day before, though from what she had heard, Natsu and Happy had gotten out of that little incident.

Natsu reached them then and Erza smiled. "Ah, you must be Lucy Heartfilia. I'm Erza Scarlet, a Prefect here." She introduced, extending a hand.

Lucy promptly shook it. "Yes, hello."

"Headmaster mentioned you were tutoring Natsu. How is that going? Is he behaving himself?" She cast a sharp eye on the teen and he avoided her gaze with a shrug.

"Well enough." Lucy answered.

"Very good. If you ever need assistance reigning them in, do give me a call. I can usually be found in the Prefect's office." Erza told her. Lucy nodded and Erza took this as her cue to leave.

"She is so nice in person." Lucy said, watching her go. "She seemed scary when she was chasing us."

"Wait for it." Natsu whispered at her side.

Lucy was about to object when Erza turned midway down the hall to smile coolly at them. "I apologize, I almost forgot. Please, no more running in the halls." She said, her tone so polite Lucy felt a chill run down her spine. Everything in the woman's demeanor had become threatening and authoritative in the blink of an eye.

"Y-yes!" Lucy squeaked out.

Apparently satisfied, Erza smiled again but this time it was her kind one. "As long as you understand." She said and left.

"What did I tell you?" Natsu said once she was out of earshot, poking Lucy in the shoulder and making her jump.

She rubbed the spot, frowning at him. "Come on, let's get to library before it gets any later."

"Lucy was scared." Happy teased, hopping onto Natsu's head.

"I think she was." Natsu said and grinned at Lucy, who scowled at him in return and marched ahead. The pair laughed but Natsu was quick to catch up.

"Let's be serious." Lucy said. "Did you even read that book I gave you yesterday?"

"I did." Was Natsu's quick answer.

She was skeptical. "You did?"

"Yeah, I'm a fast reader." Natsu said matter-of-factly.

Lucy quirked a brow. "I'm going to be needing some proof of that."

"Pfft, what proof? I have Happy as a witness. Happy, you tell her."

"Aye."

"Don't just say 'aye!'" Natsu yelled and Lucy stifled a laugh.

"Actually, I have an idea of how you can prove you read it." She said with a coy smile.

Natsu curved an eyebrow. "How so?"

"You'll find out."

* * *

A shorter chapter this time (with a lot of dialogue sorry!) but I wanted to save the actual incantation lessons for next time. Thanks again for reviews, favorites, and follows! Stay tuned for chapter 6 in the next few days.


	6. Chapter 6: Lessons in Incantations

_Incantations._

 _They are a single or several words, Latin in origin usually, used to cast spells. A wizard needs to say them while focusing their magical energy into their wand. A spell cannot be cast without a wand but there are some exceptions to this rule. The incantations can be so easy that the wizard doesn't need to say them out loud or they could be a very talented mage. Another exception is Natsu Dragneel, whose magic just overflows, incantations or no! I'm a little concerned about that, if I'm being honest._

* * *

Dictation was what Lucy had in mind and as soon as she had suggested the idea, Natsu groaned.

"Do you even know what dictation is?" Lucy questioned, feeling a little annoyed.

Natsu crossed his arms behind his head, leaning back in his chair. "Of course I do." He sniffed.

"Then this should be easy." Lucy said, leaving no room for further objections. She flipped open the book she had previously assigned him to to the first page. "Start from the beginning. It doesn't have to be word for word, I just want to know you understand it."

With a huff, Natsu stopped leaning his chair and sat properly. He began summarizing the content of the book and Lucy was surprised to find that he did indeed know what was written there. It was almost too good to be true, so she became suspicious.

When he finished his dictation, she set the book down and crossed her arms. "There is no way you knew that all so well after reading it once. You're not tricking me again, are you?"

"I already told you; you're too smart for that." Natsu shrugged. He resumed his previous pose, only this time he kept his chair planted on the ground instead of leaning backwards.

Lucy's brows furrowed. "Then what's the deal?"

"I told you I was held back twice."

"Yes, so?"

"The professors have had me read that book at least five times now."

Lucy smacked her forehead and groaned out. "You should have let me know that from the beginning!"

Taking in a calming breath, Lucy looked up at Natsu with an even gaze. She couldn't tell if he had really tried to trick her again or if that was actually unintentional. "Alright, let's try this again. If you know all of this, then what problems do you keep having with incantations?" She asked.

"I just can't remember what they are." He answered nonchalantly.

"Really?" Lucy was surprised. Maybe this would be easier than she thought. "Well, in that case all we have to do is have you memorize them."

"That's what the professors always said but it never stuck." Happy interjected.

Lucy frowned. Her fingers played with the edge of the book, trying to think of a solution. Surely there had to be some way for Natsu to learn incantations. Something that the professors wouldn't have thought of before. "Let's go get a snack." She said after a minute.

Natsu's arms dropped from behind his head, a surprised look on his face. "What, why?"

"Just hear me out." Lucy said, picking up the book and her bag and headed for the door. Natsu and Happy exchanged a glance before quickly following after.

* * *

They settled down on a bench in one of the hallways after procuring a small bag of cookies. As soon as they sat, Lucy ripped the bag open and pulled out a frosted animal cracker. She held it out for Natsu to see. "Here is how we're going to do this." She said. "You get one cookie per incantation you can memorize. Let's shoot for learning at least ten today."

"Is this bribery?" Natsu asked, reaching for the cookie in her hand before she snatched it away.

"It's not bribery." She said, with a shake of her head. "But giving you rewards might be a good way to teach you, I think."

"Isn't just one cookie per incantation a little cheap though?"

Lucy smirked. "If you can learn more than ten, I'll give you the rest of the bag."

"Fine." Natsu said, leaning back on the bench. "How do you wanna do this?"

"Give me your wand first."

He arched a brow at her but pulled out his wand nonetheless. "Why?"

"I can't have you reading off incantations with this in your possession. There is no telling what could happen; you could burst into flames for all we know!" Lucy said, taking the wand from him.

"That only happens if I want it to." Natsu objected but the comment fell on deaf ears. Lucy was too distracted by the design of his wand. Though she had seen it before, that had only been for a second. Turning it over carefully in her hand, she inspected it closer. It was red but the tip was a burning yellow, giving it the appearance of a flame. All along it ran an intricate design that reminded her of scales. It was beautiful, and she told him as such. At the compliment, Natsu grew uncharacteristically quiet and Lucy turned her attention to him.

"What's with the expression?" She asked. He looked so pensive and it made her curious.

"Nothing." Natsu dismissed her question quickly and Lucy took it that she shouldn't pry any further.

She tucked the wand carefully into her bag and picked the cookies back up. "Why don't you start by listing some of the incantations you do know." She said and shook the bag, prompting him to begin.

"Aera! It means air or sky." Happy stated proudly. He had an excited look in his eyes and Lucy sighed.

"These aren't for you." She said with exasperation but she tossed him a cookie anyway. The cat eagerly ate it up and Natsu turned to her with a pout. "What? He got it right!"

Natsu continued pouting, his eyebrows turned down. Then he opened his mouth. "Crystallum energia. Aperio. Anapaestus. Canonista. Gigas ignis."

Lucy blinked in surprise as Natsu listed off the incantations one after another. Before he could continue, she covered his mouth with her hand. "H-hold on, I thought you couldn't memorize them!"

Prying her fingers off, Natsu grinned. "I do know some of them, I haven't been a student here for three years for nothing."

"You really shouldn't be saying that so proudly when you're still in the second grade." Lucy sighed. Then she shook her head. "Anyway, the actual words aren't nearly as important as their meanings. Do you know what any of those meant?"

He averted his eyes. "Of course."

"That isn't very convincing."

He looked back at her and frowned. "Fine. Aperio means uh.." He trailed off, his brows furrowing. Then he snapped his finger and pointed at her. "Small!"

"No, it means open!" Lucy shouted.

"Oh, it does?" Natsu shrugged. "Well I know ignis means fire."

"That's right. How about gigas ignis?"

Natsu stared up at the ceiling, thinking hard. He looked cute doing that and Lucy caught herself watching him a little too long. She quickly turned her gaze down to her lap and silently cursed herself. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened since their tutoring sessions began.

"It means giant fire." Natsu said, pulling her from her thoughts.

Lucy smiled and handed him two cookies which he eagerly ate. "Know any more?" She prompted.

He listed a couple more incantations with their meanings, getting most right. It was slow going but eventually the bag of cookies dwindled down to nothing.

"That's it then." She said, crunching up the bag. "What I'll do is write a list of incantations with what they do so you can study it. Then tomorrow we can do this again."

"Sound good." Natsu said getting up and stretching his arms above his head. The action made his t-shirt pull up and reveal some of his toned stomach. Lucy stared wide-eyed at the sight and kept doing so even when he stopped stretching and his shirt fell down again. As she had suspected, Natsu was in shape.

"What are you looking at?" Happy asked innocently.

Lucy jumped at the question. "N-nothing." She mumbled, quickly throwing her bag over her shoulder and marching off. Her cheeks were burning and she reprimanded herself for staring once _again_.

"Hey, wait up!" Natsu called. Having such long legs, he easily caught up and fell into step beside her. Happy followed behind them at a slower pace.

"Oh right, let me give you back you wand." Lucy said, turning her face away from him to rifle through her bag. The last thing Lucy Heartfilia wanted was for him to see her blushing and ask her why she was. From what she knew about him already, he would bug her about it until he got the truth but not in a million years could she live down the embarrassment of admitting to him she had been checking him out. She could barely admit it to herself!

When she found the wand, she handed it to him carefully. She noticed he had that pensive look again when he saw it but it lasted for only a short second before he stuffed it into his back pocket. They continued down the hall in silence until Natsu snapped his fingers. "Lucy, I remembered what 'small' was."

She tilted her head at him. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, it's 'parva'!" He said with a wide grin, pointing his finger at her. Instantaneously, she was shroud in a purple light and soon Natsu grew several feet–no, yards!–taller than her. As did the ceiling and the walls and, well, everything around her really. Happy, now a giant to her, stared at her in shock and she did the same.

"Happy, how did you grow so big?!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Natsu crouched downward but he was still towering over her. "Uh, Happy didn't get big, Lucy." He said. He had a sheepish grin on his face and Lucy furrowed her brows at him.

"What do you–" She realized it then. It wasn't everything else that had grown big, it was her who had become small! She started screaming. "Natsu what did you do?! Reverse it, reverse it!"

Natsu started laughing at the panicking, tiny Lucy. "She's cute like this." Happy snickered and she scowled at them both.

"Just say 'mutationis reditum' and change me back!" She cried angrily. Being this small was horrible and now other students passing by in the hallway were laughing too.

"Okay, okay." Natsu said, stifling his laughter. He picked her up by her jacket and set her down on his knee. With his other hand, he pulled out his wand. "Mutationis reditum, right?"

"Yes, now hurry!" Lucy shouted.

"I kind of like you like this though."

"Natsu!"

Natsu pointed his wand at her and spoke the incantation. She suddenly wondered if maybe having him be the one to reverse it was a bad idea, considering her track record, and she shut her eyes tight to brace for what possibly horrors were to come. Just like last time, she was surrounded in a purple light and she felt herself growing bigger and bigger. Then she felt the sensation of falling, followed by a THUD! She quickly opened her eyes to find that she she was normal size again–so the spell had worked–but stupidly on her part, she hadn't considered what would happen when Natsu cast it while she was on his knee!

"You're back to normal." Natsu said, pointing out the obvious but not the fact that she was sitting in his lap.

Lucy was quick to get up, stumbling back a few steps as she stood. Her face felt hot and so she brushed off her skirt and straightened her uniform to hide her blush. "Please don't do that again." She grumbled.

Natsu sat up from where he had fallen against the wall and laughed. He seemed completely unaffected by what had just happened. Rather, both him and Happy couldn't stop laughing.

"Alright, cut it out you two." Lucy said, offering a hand to help Natsu up. He took it and quite nearly pulled her right down in the process with his strength. If she hadn't been standing more carefully, there would have been a repeat of their last incident.

"Sorry about that." Natsu said but he didn't look very apologetic.

Lucy shook her head. "I'm just glad I took your wand away before. Imagine what would have happened if you had it when you said 'gigas ignis.'"

"How do you think I remember that incantation in the first place?"

"What?!"

Natsu patted her on the back and grinned. "Don't worry, it wasn't that giant."

* * *

I drew another CG for this chapter and you can find it again on my tumblr under myart tag. Anyway, thanks again for the reviews, follows, and favorite; they really mean a lot to me.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in a few days!


	7. Chapter 7: Morning Flight

_Magic Broomsticks._

 _The broomsticks are made only in Gedonelune from the special trees that grow there. They have a little magical properties on their own but in order to fly, you have to focus your magical energy into them. Then you'll be soaring! Of course, you need permission from the school to rent one. They're not available any other way._

* * *

The week passed by quickly from there; Lucy would attend classes, tutor Natsu in the evening, repeat. Along the way she was growing closer to both him and Happy and also her roommate, Mickey. Aside from a few minor mishaps _—_ nothing as extreme as being shrunk one tenth her size again _—_ things were going well. In fact, Natsu seemed to be actually remembering the incantations she taught him.

Now it was the weekend and technically, the tutoring lessons were done for the week. However, before they had parted ways the night before, Natsu had asked her to meet him in their usual spot the next morning. He had kept very cryptic as to the reason behind it but did promise it would be to her benefit. Lucy had really hoped that would be the case, though even if she didn't learn anything, it wasn't like she minded hanging out with them. Her weekend otherwise would likely be spent reading or unpacking what remained in her suitcase. So she agreed.

And that was how she found herself out in the courtyard early on Saturday morning. Natsu and Happy had yet to arrive so she had taken up a spot on a bench and pulled her jacket in tighter to herself. The weather was fair but the signs of the fast approaching fall were already showing in how cold it was in the mornings.

"Lucy!"

The blonde turned at the call and smiled when she saw Natsu running over with Happy in tow. "What's that?" She asked, pointing to the broomstick in his hand.

"Good morning to you too." Natsu said when he reached her side.

"Sorry, but I hope you don't expect me to clean anything with that." Lucy laughed though she wasn't entirely kidding. Knowing him, there was no telling just what he could have in store for her today.

"Silly Lucy," Happy said with a shake of his head, "doesn't even know a magical broomstick when she sees one."

"Excuse me?"

"We're not going to be cleaning with these." Natsu said, pushing the broom at her so she would have to take it. "We're gonna fly."

Lucy's brows came together. "Fly? You mean, flying broomsticks actually exist?"

"I'm surprised you don't know that." Natsu shrugged, absentmindly scratching the back of his head. Lucy looked from him to the broom. It seemed like any ordinary one, the only exception was the unique patterns in its wooden handle; a beautiful combination of star and swirl like shapes. She had always heard tales of wizards flying on broomsticks but never did she think that it was true. Magic was an endless wonder, she supposed.

"So how exactly is flying going to help me?" Lucy asked.

"Happy, you tell her." Natsu said, taking a seat beside her to retie his shoe. She tried not to pay attention to just how close to her he had actually sat down nor the fact that plenty of space on the bench for him to at least sit a little further away.

"In order to fly, you have to focus a certain amount of magic into the broom." The cat began to explain. "If you use too little, you'll stay on the ground. Too much magic and you'll lose control and go soaring into outer space. Natsu thinks this will help you get over your magical constipation."

Lucy turned red. "My _what_?!"

"That's what he calls it."

Insult about her magic block aside, she had to hand it to Natsu for coming up with such a good idea. "Well, I guess we can try it." She assented.

"That's the spirit!" Natsu said, hopping up from the bench and pulling her up with him. "Let's go into a more open area. You'll hit a tree if you try to fly around here."

"I don't really think that will be an issue, I'll just be happy if I can get even a few inches off the ground." Lucy said but followed after him and Happy anyway. They lead her to a wide clearing within the school grounds and stopped right in the middle. All around was a plush grass, so should she fall, she would land on something softer than cement.

"Where do I begin?" Lucy asked.

"Okay!" Natsu shouted, making her jump. He took the broom from her and held it vertically out in front of him. "What you gotta do is..uh." His voice trailed off, his brows turning down. He seemed to be thinking hard before he ultimately scoffed. "Just watch."

He stared directly at the broomstick, a serious expression on his face. Soon a soft light surrounded the broom and it began to float upward in his grasp. He let go and it hovered in the air for a few seconds before dropping onto the ground. "Just like when you're focusing energy into your wand, you need to do the same with the broomstick and regulate it." Happy said, while Natsu picked up the broom.

"I think I get it." Lucy nodded. "I'm just, really bad at getting my magic to actually come out. I'm not sure I can even get it to float like that."

"That's why we're using the broom, not a spell." Natsu said, handing her the broom. "With spells you give it one big burst but with brooms you gotta keep giving it magic to stay up."

"So you think I'll do better practicing a steady flow?" Lucy asked to which Natsu nodded. She was starting to make more sense of this exercise. An eagerness filled her at the thought of improving her magic output. "Alright, should I hold it out like you did?"

"No." Natsu said, stepping up beside her. "You gotta get on it like you're riding a bike." He showed her how to do it so she was straddling the broomstick, both hands held tightly to the handle in front of her.

"Now what?"

Natsu shrugged. "Just...focus, I guess? It's hard to explain, you have to just _do it_."

"Okay, here goes." Lucy said. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Focus. Focus. Focus. The word repeated in her mind and just like when using her wand, she concentrated her magic into the broomstick. As always, something was blocking the flow of her magic but a little of the magic managed to slip through and she felt the pull of the broom beneath her, lifting her upwards.

"She's actually flying!" Happy gasped.

"Am I?!" Lucy's eyes snapped open as soon as she heard that and just as soon as she did that, her feet landed back on the ground.

"Well, you were." Natsu said, humor in his voice.

Her determination didn't deter. "I'm going to try again."

"Keep your eyes open this time." Natsu told her.

Lucy nodded, and taking another long breath first, she focused her magic again. It was easier this attempt and she was floating a few inches already. So she tried again, and again. But try as she might, she couldn't manage to get any higher off the ground than that. That blockage was still there.

"I don't know what's wrong." Lucy frowned, floating back down.

"It's only your first time." Happy encouraged. Lucy smiled a little at that but she still felt disappointed.

There was a silence between the three until Natsu spoke up. "Try again." He said.

"Why?" Lucy questioned. She was tired and a little annoyed that she couldn't get this right. She knew it took time. It was taking Natsu time to learn the incantations. But it was discouraging failing so badly.

"Just do it." Natsu ordered and Lucy sighed but listened. She focused her magic for the dozenth time now and felt that lift but also felt something else.

"What are you doing?!" Lucy demanded, whipping her head back to look at Natsu. He had climbed onto the broom behind her and she felt a jolt in her heart with him being so close. His head was practically resting on her shoulder.

"We're gonna go for a ride." Natsu grinned. He reached one arm around her and took a hold of the handle. Almost instantly, the two of them and the broom skyrocketed straight upward. A scream escaped Lucy and if she hadn't been holding on so tightly, she was certain she would have fallen right off. The broom kept climbing and climbing into the air and the higher they went, the faster Lucy's heart raced. She wasn't sure if it was because Natsu had leaned even closer to her or it was a sudden onslaught of a fear of heights. She hoped it was the latter.

"How high are we gonna go?" Lucy asked when they were clear over the treeline and Happy was just a blue speck on the ground. It was an impressive sight but terrifying all the same.

"Don't look down, you'll get dizzy." Natsu told her, his voice close to her ear.

"O-ok." She mumbled back. She turned her eyes forward and the broom began to move in that direction. They picked up speed as they soared over the trees and lower academy buildings. The crisp morning air blew in her face but the exhilaration of flying and the heat at her back kept her warm. She was just grateful she had worn pants today instead of her skirt.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

She could feel Natsu shrug. "Wanna go to the lake?"

"Alright."

"I'll let you steer then, go right."

Nervousness spiked within her. "How do I do that?"

"Easy! You just lean a _little_ _—_ don't lean so far you fall off _—_ and think of the direction you wanna go." Happy said.

"Ok _—_ WAIT, Happy?!" Lucy's head whipped to her left to see the widely grinning cat soaring beside them. He had a pair of white wings sprouted from his back that had definitely NOT been there before.

Natsu snickered at her shocked reaction. "What, never seen a flying cat before?"

"No." Lucy replied, amused. "I didn't even know that familiars can cast magic. Unless, that was your doing."

"Nope, it's all Happy."

"I'm special like that." Happy laughed and flew ahead of them. "I'll lead you to the lake, Lucy!"

"Think you can handle steering?" Natsu asked her.

At least he asked this time. "Yeah." She said and followed Happy's instructions. She gingerly leaned to the right and they turned. From there they kept flying, her changing direction when needed. It was easier than she thought and soon all her nervousness slipped away.

"Having fun?" Natsu asked after some time, his voice right by her ear again.

His question made Lucy realize that she was smiling from ear to ear. Instead of answering, she just nodded. The lake had come into view and Lucy looked down to admire it. That's when she noticed that Natsu only had one hand on the broomstick. His other was resting on his knee.

"Hey, how come you're holding on with only one hand?" She asked.

"Huh?" Natsu hot breath came out on her neck and it made her tense and lose focus. The broom wobbled, threatening to tip but Natsu reached his other arm forward, grabbing onto the handle so it steadied.

"Careful." Natsu warned but when he looked back from the broom to her, he met her eyes. She stared right at him, his face mere centimeters from hers and both his arms wrapped at either side of her. He swallowed thickly and she blinked.

"Um." She fumbled for something to say, chewing on her bottom lip. The action brought his gaze to them and that's where things went all wrong.

Without any warning, the broomstick shot forward and then just as quickly, completely lost all power. Wind whistled past them as they plummeted and Lucy let go of the broom to wrap her arms tightly around Natsu's neck. She clung to him for dear life but knew that this was her end. She squinted her eyes shut. Yes, soon she would be joining her dear mama and papa in heaven.

But over the sound of her screaming Natsu's name, she heard his laughter. "Hope you can swim!"

With a large SPLOOSH! they landed in cool water.

* * *

And here is chapter 7! Thanks again for the reviews, follows, and favorites. I'm glad you guys are enjoying this fic.


	8. Chapter 8: Stone Enchanting

_Magic Stones._

 _Magic Stones are regular gemstones, often times rare ones, that have been enhanced by magic. Sometimes they were intentionally created but in most occurrences, the stones are naturally magical after being exposed to high concentrations of magic. They come in many types and usually are associated with one element. The Tears of Undine or the Salamander's Soul, for example, have the power to bring rain or summon fire, respectively. They are also very, very beautiful._

* * *

"You're still mad."

Lucy frowned at Natsu as he walked with her to class the following Monday morning. After they had made a splash landing into the lake, she had stormed off in a soaking, soppy, and furious mess and hadn't seen the pair again until now. Truthfully she wasn't all that angry anymore but the accusation made her feel a little annoyed.

"I'm not mad." Lucy denied, adjusting the strap of her book bag.

Natsu watched her face carefully as he kept in-step with her. "You are." He said matter-of-factly.

"I'm telling you I'm not." She repeated.

"No, you're mad."

"Aye, she's mad." Happy piped in.

Lucy glared at both of them but they refused to back down. "Alright! I'm a _little_ angry still." She at last admitted, crossing her arms. "I'd just like to know what happened is all. We were flying just fine until all of a sudden."

"Oh, that." Natsu shrugged, looking away from her. "I gave the broom too much magic."

She gave him a deadpan expression. "I already figured that much, I want to know _why_ that happened."

Natsu shrugged again, though he seemed less nonchalant in his reply. "I was holding the broom with two hands and lost focus."

"What does holding it with both hands have to do with it?" Lucy asked.

Happy answered this time. "Natsu can only hold a broomstick with one hand, otherwise he gives it too much power and the broom goes wild."

"Oh right, your magic overflow." Lucy felt a bit stupid not having realized that. But he had been holding it just fine for the first few seconds, she wondered what could have possibly distracted him. Her question would have to wait however as the first warning bell for class rang out throughout the hallway. "We'll discuss this more later, I'll see you after lessons." She told the pair with a wave and headed off in her own direction.

Lucy walked into her classroom and took an open seat near the front. The rest of the class soon arrived and then professor Precht walked in. Lucy felt her stomach drop. The opening ceremony had taken over lessons last Monday, she hadn't known that it was his day for teaching. Taking a deep breath, she hoped that things would go smoother this time.

"For our lesson today we are going to be trying to cast a simple light spell." Precht began. "They can be notorious for failing, as most times, you have devote all your focus on the spell in order for it to succeed. That said, this spell is incredible easy and I expect all of you to complete it."

He began to explain the spell in more detail. "If you recall your studies from last year, there is a magic stone called the Light of Apollo. The stone it is made of is very rare but we can create a similar effect using simple rose quartz. Aperio!" With a short wave of his wand, small pink gemstones landed on the desks in front of everyone. Precht set his wand aside and held up his own piece of quartz. "In order to do this, you must enhance the rose quartz with your light magic. If it succeeds, the stone will glow."

"I'll need an example." Precht scanned the room with his eye and it landed on Lucy. "Miss Heartfilia, come up to the front of the class and bring your stone with you." There was no room for objection in his tone, so Lucy stood up and made her way to the front of the room. Professor Precht moved away from the podium and stood beside her.

"What you need to do is say the incantation 'O Light, heed my call' and finish with 'Lumen.' For those that are able, you may abbreviate it to just Lumen." Precht instructed then turned to Lucy. "Miss Heartfilia, begin."

Lucy held up the stone in her open palm and pulled out her golden wand with the other. Her hands shook nervously as all eyes in the room were on her. Taking a deep breath, she said the incantation aloud. "O Light, heed my call. Lumen!" She knew before she had finished that it wouldn't work. She could feel something blocking her magic again, preventing it from coming out, and as such, only a spark shot out of the tip of her wand. The room was silent, Precht's gaze resting heavily on her. She felt her eyes prickle with tears.

"Try again." Precht said firmly.

Lucy held back the tears and repeated the incantation with much the same results. The magic just wouldn't come out. "I'm sorry." She mumbled, her cheeks heating with embarrassment.

"Return to your seat, Miss Heartfilia. I'll see you after lessons."

"Yes, sir." She nodded and went sit back down.

"Mr. Ecor, come up here instead." Precht called another student and Lucy didn't have the heart to look as he successfully cast the spell in her place.

She made it through the rest of the class feeling frustrated with herself and finally the bells rang. The rest of the class shuffled out while Lucy remained to speak with the professor. She truthfully wanted to bolt but something told her she wouldn't be able to get away with that.

"Miss Heartfilia." Precht said when she approached him.

"I'm sorry about earlier." Lucy said again, bowing her head.

The professor was silent, his mouth set in a hard line as he stroked his beard. "You seem to have an issue with your magic." He said finally.

"Yes." Lucy admitted shamefully. "I have a sort of magic block, it prevents me from casting spells."

"I see." Precht said, his eye considering her carefully.

"I have been taking tutoring lessons to improve, sir." Lucy said.

Precht's brows furrowed. "From a professor or a prefect?" He asked.

"No, sir. From a regular student, Natsu Dragneel. Headmaster Dreyar assigned it, as Natsu has an overflow of magic." Lucy answered.

Precht stopped stroking his beard, his tone raised in interest. "That's not a name I'm familiar with."

"He is a grade or so ahead." Lucy said, twiddling her fingers.

"And he has an overflow of magic, you say?" Precht asked.

"Yes, sir. I'm teaching him incantations in return." Lucy told him but he didn't seem to hear the last part.

Precht had began stroking his beard once again, an unreadable expression on his face. A silence passed where the professor seemed to be in his own thoughts and Lucy stood nervously. The light spilling into the classroom from the windows was beginning to take on an orange hue and Lucy worried she'd be late meeting up with Natsu and Happy if she stayed here any longer.

"Miss Heartfilia." Precht spoke at last, pulling her attention back to him. "Meet me after class next time and we shall continue this discussion in more detail. Do not worry about what happened with the light spell, I am certain with time you will overcome this shortcoming."

"Ah, yes?" Lucy mumbled, caught off guard by the kindness he showed. He was so intimidating before but perhaps she had judged him wrong. When he didn't say anything more, Lucy took that as her cue to leave.

* * *

"Lucy, you're late." Happy scolded but his tone wasn't serious.

"I'm sorry." Lucy apologized anyway. She was a bit winded from running all the way to their meeting place, though she was relieved to see they hadn't just left when she didn't show up.

"It's fine." Natsu shrugged. His expression turned concerned. "But what took you?"

Lucy sat down beside him on the bench and sighed. "Oh, I had to stay behind to talk with the professor."

"Did Lucy get in trouble?!" Happy gasped.

"No." Lucy glared at him, her expression then softening at remembering her failed attempt earlier. "I had to be an example for a spell and I couldn't do it." She told them, looking at her hands.

"Because of your magic constipation?" Natsu asked sadly.

"Ye–NO!" Lucy whacked him on the shoulder. "Please stop calling my magic block that."

Natsu winced, rubbing where she hit him but smiled reassuringly at her nonetheless. "C'mon, Lucy. You'll improve so don't be so bummed about it."

"Yeah, thanks." Lucy smiled a little back. His words helped but she still felt blue about the whole situation.

"Hey, Natsu." Happy piped in. "Why don't we skip tutoring for today and show Lucy _those_? I think it'll cheer her up."

Natsu's face lit up immediately, snapping his fingers at the cat. "Ooh, good thinking, Happy." He stood up, pulling Lucy with him.

"Hey!" She protested as he dragged her along, not towards the buildings but instead in the direction as the same empty field as before. "I'm not flying again, if that's what you're thinking."

"Nah, I can't rent another broom anyway since I broke that one on Saturday." Natsu said nonchalantly.

"You broke it?" Lucy gaped in surprise.

"I landed on it funny when we fell into the lake." Natsu shrugged. "But anyway, we're doing something else."

Lucy dug her heels into the ground, refusing to be brought further. "And what is that?" She asked firmly.

Natsu stopped too, letting go of her arm. "We're gonna look for some Gedonelune Four-leaved Clovers!" He told her with a grin.

The blonde's brows furrowed. "Clovers? What's so special about that?"

"You'll find out." Natsu told her.

"They're really fun." Happy added.

Lucy couldn't really find any reason to object further. Her heart wasn't into teaching incantations today or practicing her magic output. Searching in the dark for clovers didn't exactly sound all that great either though. A warm bath and a book sounded much more appealing to her. "But it's getting late." She said weakly in one last attempt.

"They're actually easier to find at night." Happy said, hopping from the ground to her shoulder. "Because they glow!"

Lucy sighed. "There is no talking you guys out of this is there?"

"Nope." Natsu grinned again.

With another sigh, Lucy nodded her head and gave them a small smile. "Fine. Lead the way, I guess."

"Alright!" Happy cheered and Natsu grabbed her arm again and off into the field they went.

* * *

Sorry for such the long wait! I really wanted to make sure I knew where I was going with this story before continuing (plus I kind of lost motivation to write...). From now on, I'm going to try updating at least once every Monday.

Thanks again for the reviews/favorites/follows. Till next time!


	9. Chapter 9: Clovers

_Gedonelune Four-leaved Clovers_

 _Because of the magic-enriched soil in Gedonelune, sometimes the plants gain magical properties as well. The Clovers for example, can grant small wishes. They're pretty hard to find though. I also heard that dandelion puffs have the same ability as well and they're much more common. They only bloom in Spring though so you'll have to wait until then for a chance at wishing on one._

* * *

They came to a stop in the wide clearing and Natsu let go over her arm. "The patch should be around here somewhere." He said, eyes trailed on the ground. He wandered about here and there, Happy doing the same, while Lucy stood in place. The sun was beginning its decent past the treeline, turning the day fully into night. They would probably only have an hour at most before they would have to return or else they would face the wrath of missing curfew. Lucy watched the pair silently as they kept searching and her heart warmed at their kindness. They knew she was feeling down and again they were trying to cheer her up. A smile took up her face.

"I'll try searching too." Lucy said, moving about while she scanned the ground.

"It's about time." Natsu muttered.

"What was that?" Lucy whipped her head up to glare at him, only to stumble back a step upon finding that she had wandered right into his path and was now standing right in front of him. He grinned at her.

"I'm just kidding." He said.

Lucy floundered for something to say but it was hard to think with him so close like this. Quickly, she tore her gaze away from his. "Are you sure there are any clovers here?" She managed to ask.

Natsu shrugged, turning away to keep looking. "This is where I've found them before."

"And how long did it take you to find one of Four-leaved Clovers?" She asked, going back to searching as well.

Natsu hummed at the question, tilting his head to the side. "Maybe two hours?"

Lucy gaped at him. "Two hours!"

"Well, give or take." He shrugged again.

Lucy sighed in exasperation, placing a hand on her brow. "You do know the sun is setting, right?"

"Yeah, but we have more eyes this time. And we also know the area where the clover patch should be, last time Happy and I had to find it." Natsu explained.

Lucy shook her head. She wouldn't be convinced. "Curfew is a thing, you know. You get into big trouble if you miss it."

"Oh, right." Natsu laughed and Lucy glared at his carefree behavior. "Don't worry so much about that. They always threaten that the punishment is bad but really it's not and if it's only if they catch you."

"You say that like you've missed it before." Lucy frowned and at his cheeky grin, she shook her head. "Nevermind. I'm sure you have."

"Alright, let's quit yappin' and find it." Natsu said and wandered off to a further part of the clearing. Lucy watched him go and sighed. As touching as it was that they wanted to cheer her up, surely there had to be a better way than it leading to getting in trouble.

"Hey, Lucy."

She turned her attention to Happy, who had been looking diligently for the clover patch the entire time. "What is it?"

"What will you wish for when you find the Clover?" He asked her.

"Oh," Lucy said, tilting her head. "I don't know. It's not like they really grant wishes anyway, so it doesn't matter too much."

Happy looked from the ground up to her, his eyes wide. "But, Lucy! They do grant wishes!" He told her with a conviction that let her know he wasn't just pulling her leg again (and he had multiple times since their meeting). "The soil in Gedonelune is even magical and it effects the Four-Leafed Clovers so that they're really magical as well."

Lucy stared at the cat in amazement. "So, I could wish for one million dollars and it'll come true?!"

From across the way, she heard Natsu snort and shout out. "No way!"

Happy, too, found her question amusing. "They're not that powerful." He snickered.

"Then, what can it do?" Lucy asked, her brows knit in confusion.

"It can only grant small wishes." Happy explained. "If you wish for a test to be cancelled, it'll just be postponed for a day. And instead of a million, you might find ten dollars on the ground."

Lucy nodded in understanding. Even if it wasn't much, it was a little exciting still for a small wish to be granted. She felt a renewed interest in finding the Clover. She wondered just what exactly she should wish for. Perhaps some kind of dessert? It had been a long time since she had anything chocolate. Or maybe a copy of a new book? Though maybe that would be too much for the clover to grant.

"Anyway, Lucy." Happy said, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?" She replied.

"You're standing in the clover patch." Happy said, pointing to her feet.

Following his gaze, Lucy looked down and jumped back immediately. Indeed, she had been standing in the patch the entire time she had been day dreaming about what to wish for. She crouched down, looking at the tiny plants. It was hard to see them as they were smaller than any clovers she had ever come across before.

Natsu jogged over to them and leaned over to look at the plants. "Ah, you guys found 'em." He said with a grin, then kneeled down beside her.

"They're tiny." Lucy said, poking at one of them.

"That's why they're so hard to find." Happy told her. He already was searching for the Four-Leafed Clover and Natsu joined him. His hands delicately brushed through the plants, his shoulders sometimes brushing hers as he leaned forward and back. Lucy tried to keep her focus on the clover but it was proving a bit difficult with him this close again. She wondered if he had no concept of personal-space or if he didn't even notice.

"Should we make it a contest to see who finds the Clover first?" Natsu said.

Lucy raised a brow, intrigued at the idea. "And what would the reward be?"

"Winner gets to keep the clover and be the one to make a wish."

Lucy snorted. "That's kind of a given."

Natsu made a mock-annoyed face. "Well then, what do you suggest?"

Stopping her search for a moment, Lucy tapped her chin in thought. "How about if the winner also gets to decide what we do tomorrow during tutoring?" She proposed.

Natsu hummed in thought then nodded his head. "Alright, it's on."

"Fine with me too." Happy said.

Now that that was settled, the three began searching for the Four-Leafed Clover more carefully. Time quickly passed away this way and the sunlight faded fast. Soon the clearing was only lit by the recesses of twilight.

"I don't think we're going to find it when it's this dark." Lucy sighed, squinting at the tiny clovers she was brushing her hands over. "Happy, didn't you say the Four-Leafed Clovers glowed?"

"They do, just not very brightly." Happy said, still trying his best to search.

"Well that's no help." Lucy frowned, crossing an arm over her knees. Not only was it getting dark, it was getting a bit nippy out. She shivered, pulling herself closer to her legs.

Natsu stood up then, stretching out his arms over his head. "Let's call it a night then." He announced. He offered a hand to help her up and Lucy stared at it for a second before looking up to his face.

"You're giving up?" She asked disbelievingly.

Natsu shook his head. "I'm not giving up but you're cold, aren't you?"

Lucy blinked in surprised. "You noticed?" She asked to which he gave her a non-committal shrug. "Well, alright."

She grabbed his offered hand and was about to stand when something shiny caught the corner of her eye. She twisted her head to the side and leaned over. There among a cluster of other clovers was a faintly glowing one, with four tiny leaves on it. Lucy quickly picked it, twirling it by the stem between her fingers. A bright smile spread across her face. "I found one!"

"Huh?" Natsu leaned over her and grinned when he saw the slight shimmer.

"No way!" Happy said, padding over towards them. She carefully handed it to him so he could take a better look and after a moment of inspection, he handed it back with a smile his own. "Good job, Lucy!"

Taking it back from the cat, she looked at Natsu who was still leaning over her. "I guess I win the contest too;" She said cheekily.

"I guess." He grumbled but he didn't seem displeased in the slightest. In fact, he was still grinning. Lucy caught herself staring and she grew suddenly very self conscious at their close proximity again. She also noticed that she was still holding his hand but before she could let go, he tightened his grip.

"Let's head back then." He said, pulling her up. Even as he began walking though, he didn't release her hand. She wasn't sure if she should try pulling away or just let him be. It was dark after all, she was bound to stumble on something and having him hold on this way was much safer. Just maybe not for her heart, which was beating rapidly against her will.

"That was some luck finding that Clover, Lucy." Happy said as he walked beside them, all too unaware of her inner struggle.

"W-well," Lucy mumbled, "my parents did used to call me Lucky Lucy when I was little."

"Why did they call you that?" Happy asked.

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. I was too little to ask my mom and after she passed away, I never had the chance to ask my father. He didn't like talking about anything to do with my mom and then he died too." She could tell that as soon as she had disclosed this information that there was a change in both of them; Natsu's grip on her hand slacked for a second and his back went slightly rigid, and Happy's pace slowed to almost a stop so he had to catch up a moment later. Neither said anything for a moment either and she wondered if she shouldn't have told them.

"Anyway," Lucy said, clearing her throat. "I don't know what I should wish for still."

"You can always save it." Happy offered. He seemed relieved at the subject change.

"I can? How long does it usually last for?" Lucy asked.

Happy shrugged. "I heard it's still magical until it dries."

"Wouldn't that be pretty quickly then?" Lucy wondered, gently moving the clover between her fingers.

"Since it's magical, it should last longer than a normal clover would." Happy offered.

"I hope so." Lucy said. Carefully she placed the clover into her blazer pocket now that the courtyard was just up ahead. She would have to turn her attention to the upcoming task at hand: getting to the dorms without getting caught for breaking curfew. She tugged on Natsu's arm a little. "How do you plan on sneaking us in?" She asked in a hushed tone. Who knows if there were any prefects or professors about.

"It's no big deal, they don't patrol that much." Natsu said, stopping now that they were in the courtyard.

Lucy stopped beside him, looking around for any signs of watch anyway. "Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah, definitely." He said then hummed, pulling at her hand. "Hm."

"What?" She asked, looking down. He tried letting go but his hand wouldn't release its grip.

"I can't let go." Natsu said, a baffled expression on his face.

Lucy's eyes went wide. By some chance, had she accidentally wished that he wouldn't let go and the clover had granted that? There was no way! Quickly she tried to jerk her hand away and much to her surprise, his grip released immediately and she stumbled back at the force she had pulled. She gave Natsu an imploring look.

"I was just kidding." Natsu snickered and Lucy gaped at him, her face heating up. She had thought, even if it was only for a moment, that their hands had really been stuck because she had made some unconscious wish!

"That's not very funny." Lucy scolded, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Natsu grinned. "You're just easy to tease." He said. "Anyway, if you head back to the dorm like normal, you should be fine."

"Okay," Lucy said hesitantly. She wasn't completely convinced she could get away with being out late so easily but she figured she would have to just trust him.

"Let's go, Happy." Natsu said, already heading in the direction of the boy's dorms.

The cat followed, quickly glancing back at Lucy. "Careful heading back, Lucy."

"You too." She said. She watched them go for a bit but before they were too far away, Lucy called out. "Thanks for tonight!"

Natsu stopped in his tracks and waved his arm over his head, a gesture that made Lucy smile. She wanted to watch them go completely but a cold breeze blew by and she shivered. It was time to head to the dorms and with that, her rule-breaking night of clover hunting had ended.

* * *

This chapter is kind of awful but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Thanks again for the reviews, favorites, and follows. Tune in again next Monday for the next chapter!


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